Kiwis versus Aussies in Hardy Cup
by Peter Campbell on 8 Feb 2007
Minoprio versus Mirsky Aline Van Haren
Two Australian skippers versus two New Zealanders – that’s the line-up for the tomorrow’s finals of the prestigious ISAF Grade 3 Under-25 match-racing regatta on Sydney Harbour.
New Zealander Adam Minoprio, from Auckland’s Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the overall leader throughout the round-robins and into the finals, has chosen Stuart Pollard, from the host club, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, as his semi-final opponent.
In the other semi-final New Zealander Laurie Jury, also representing the RNZYS, will be matched against West Australian Torvar Mirsky, from Royal Perth Yacht Club.
In yesterday’s Pool A round-robin to decide the semi-finals, both Minoprio and Mirsky won four of their five flights, with Minoprio’s only loss being to woman skipper Katie Spithill, representing Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
Mirsky also had four wins, his sole loss being to Minoprio and thus, on count back, placed second to Minoprio at the end of the Pool A round-robin to decide the semi-finalists. Jury had three wins, Pollard two and Katie Spithill and Evan Walker from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, one win each.
Today produced some fine racing among the young crews in east-north-easterly winds that reached 18-20 knots late in the afternoon, conditions that required basic good sailing techniques as well as match-racing tactics.
Mirsky, as he did in winning the Warren Jones Memorial Youth Regatta in Perth last year, showed his determination to come from behind, using downwind gybing tactics to overtake his opponents.
Minoprio’s superior skills came from aggressive pre-start manoeuvres, with America’s Cup-style tactics in sailing his opponent into the spectator fleet and then beating them back to the line.
He also forced is opponents in penalty situations, to his advantage.
In the Pool B final round-robin the RSYS’s Marking Dorling had five wins to finish at the top and 7th overall, ahead of New Zealander Graeme Sutherland from Royal Akarana Yacht Club who had three wins today.
Then came Paul Swinton (South of Perth Yacht Club, WA), Payson Infelise (Newport Beach Yacht Club, USA), Nicole Souter (Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, NSW) and Yuki Nagahori, Hayama Marina Yacht Club, Japan).
Full results: www.rsys.com.au/regattas
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